Take Me Apart (Vitale Brothers Book 1)
Take Me Apart: Chapter 20

A bag was tossed down the stairs joining a pile of others. I didn’t have to go through them to know they were full of Tex’s clothes.

I took the stairs two at a time, racing against time. I stopped short of my bedroom to see Tex on his knees, trying to get Penelope to go in the cage.

“Come on, Pen. We have to hurry up.”

“What are you doing?” The words came out of my mouth, but I felt detached from my own body as I stared down at Tex.

He went still, Pen trotting away from him and over to me. I was unable to bend down and pet him, afraid one wrong move, and everything would shatter before me.

“Enzo.” Tex licked his lips as he faced me. His gaze dropped to the bags in my hands before they moved back to my face. There was a visible battle storming in his blue eyes.

Tex blinked, and the knot forming in my stomach tightened.

“Enzo, you knew this wasn’t going to last.”

“I didn’t.” My chest felt as if a knife was steadily piercing it.

“Come on. I’m a cop. I—”

“You are mine!”

Tex’s mouth snapped shut as he stared at me. How could this happen? This morning we’d been wrapped in each other’s arms, and now he was what? Planning on leaving me?

My heart rate picked up. I itched as if I was covered in ants. I knew it wasn’t true, but it didn’t stop me from involuntarily twitching as I fought the urge to scratch.

“Enzo, I can’t be yours,” Tex whispered as if he was afraid to admit it.

I snapped. In the next second, I charged at Tex. He saw me coming and slid on the floor around me. He was up, and I turned on my heels, chasing after him. Our feet thudded against the tile floor. Tex jumped down the stairs, and I was right behind him. I ignored the ache in my body; it was nothing compared to the need to get Tex.

He nearly made it to the door. His fingers brushed along the handle when I tackled him down.

“Fucking bastard.” Tex drew his arm back, and his fist cut through the air before landing on my face.

My head whipped to the side, but I held onto him tighter. The taste of blood fueled me as I grabbed his wrists and slammed them to the floor.

“Enzo, get off!”

No, if I do, you will leave.

“Tex, you need to think about what you’re doing.”

His eyes widened. “You have got to be shitting me right now.” He jerked in my hold. “You’re the one holding me down.”

“Because you were going to leave.”

“I have to!” Tex’s blue eyes pleaded with me, but I ignored them.

I couldn’t let him go. Not even if my brother asked me to. Tex had become something far more important.

“What happened?” I could fix it. “This morning was great. We had plans for dinner, only for me to come home to replace you packing.”

Tex looked away. For a short second, he stopped fighting against my hold. “I came to my senses. Can’t live in fantasyland forever.”

Is it so hard to be with me? Tex turned his head slowly back toward me, and our eyes met once more. I’m not sure what facial expression I wore. I felt too out of control to even think about it, but whatever Tex saw had him reaching out to me. I hadn’t even realized I’d released his wrists.

I closed my eyes for a brief second and pressed my face against the palm of his hand. It was so grounding, and he wanted to take it all away.

“Enzo, this can’t work.”

Why the hell not? I jerked back and glared at Tex as I got up. I yanked him against me and pulled the handcuffs from his back pocket before I snapped them on his wrists.

“What the fuck?”

I said nothing as I yanked him behind me, dragging him to the guest room. Tex pulled and fought the entire way, but now he was truly stuck.

“I should have locked you up when I had the chance.”

Tex audibly swallowed when I shoved him onto the queen-sized bed.

“Enzo, this is crazy. You can’t—”

I had my blade out in seconds and sliced through his clothes. His mouth hung open as I tore every piece of fabric from his body and discarded it to the side.

“Maybe this is why Brycen was scared of you.”

Time froze as Tex’s words sank in.

“You said he was in love with you and cheated. Or did he even do it? Was it just a lie?”

I sat up, my hand shot out, and I covered Tex’s mouth and squeezed his face, barely restraining the emotions that threatened to override me.

Killing Brycen had little to do with his cheating. It hurt, but in the end, I’d also seen how devastated Benito had been by it. Neither of us had known. Brycen had done much worse.

Words kept getting stuck, and it angered me even more. I stared at Tex’s wide eyes.

“He loved no one.” It certainly wasn’t me. There was so much more, but my brain continued to misfire, and words jumbled up. Instead of talking, I’d show Tex he belonged to me.

Tex scooted up the bed as I ripped my clothes off. I grabbed his ankle and yanked him back down.

Grabbing his bound wrists, I pressed them to the bed as I reached over to the nightstand and grabbed the bottle of lube. I didn’t look twice at the condoms. I wanted to claim Tex in every way possible. I needed him to know mind, body, and soul. He was mine and mine alone.

“Enzo, you can’t be serious,” Tex said breathlessly.

I moved between his legs and slathered my cock with lube. I rested the head of my cock against his entrance. I want you so badly, and I know you want the same.

“Tell me you don’t want me.” My blood was rushing so loudly I feared it would block out Tex’s reply.

His mouth opened and closed and his eyes shimmered. “I… I.” Tex closed his mouth, closed his eyes, and stole away the beautiful blue jewels.

My hand collided with the side of his face, and his eyes snapped open.

“Don’t look away from me.” I wanted to see the look in his eyes as he destroyed what we had.

Tex licked his lips, and a single tear broke free. “I can’t.” The words were nothing more than a strangled sound, but I understood them.

I plunged inside of him with no condom. The heat sucked me in and stole all of my reasoning. Our moans mixed as I fully seated myself inside of him. I rested my arms on either side of Tex’s head and caged him. Leaning down, I lapped up the tear that had fallen and kissed both of his eyes.

“You’re mine.”

I pressed our foreheads together and pulled back before snapping my hips forward. The sound of our flesh clashing together was nothing compared to the moan that I drew from Tex.

Tex whimpered. “But—”

“No buts.”

I took his mouth in a demanding kiss. I wanted to own every inch of him. I wanted it so ingrained that he knew who he belonged to down to the fiber of his being.

“Say it,” I demanded.

I pulled back and rolled my hips just like I knew he liked it. Tex’s legs lifted as his head tossed back. His mouth hung open as he let out breathy moans.

There would never be enough of him. I thought I could quench my interest in him, but all it did was open an unhealthy obsession. I couldn’t fathom Tex, not near me, not mine. It was a reality I had no desire to be a part of.

My teeth sank into his skin repeatedly, decorating his chest with multiple bite marks. It wasn’t nearly enough. I wanted to possess him thoroughly.

“Please let me cum,” Tex begged.

“You cum by my cock, or you don’t cum at all.” I leaned forward, folding him practically in half. “I can keep fucking you until you do.”

“Fuck,” Tex shouted as I pounded into him.

His body attempted to suck me in and never let me go. If only Tex’s mind was so honest. He wanted me just as much as I wanted him.

“Enzo, please.” Tex’s head tossed back and forth as he pulled against his restraints.

I slowed down, and Tex’s eyes widened. “No.”

I cocked a brow at him. A light sheen of sweat glistened over his body, a body I’d worshiped on multiple occasions since I opened my home to him.

“Don’t you dare stop,” Tex said.

Anger rolled through me, and I snapped my hips forward, jolting us. “I thought you wanted to leave me, and now you’re begging me not to stop.”

Tex whimpered. “You’re not being fair.”

I dropped his legs and leaned forward. I bit his ear. “Fuck being fair. If I have to take you apart in order to keep you, I will.”

“I fucking hate you.”

Tex wrapped his bound wrists around the back of my neck, pulling me close. He kissed me as if he couldn’t breathe without me. I’d give him all the oxygen he needed as long as he stayed with me.

I laid open-mouth kisses from Tex’s lips to his ear. “I’ll gladly take all of your hate.” I continued to fuck Tex, ecstasy coursing through my veins with every thrust. “Just be mine.” I felt as if I was pleading.

I pulled back and met Tex’s eyes. A trickle of blood slid from the corner of his mouth. I groaned as I leaned forward and kissed him again.

Tex’s mouth opened. The coppery tang of blood greeted me, but past that, it was all Tex. He was all I wanted. A cry tried to escape him but I swallowed it down, sealing our mouths together. His hole tightened around me, halting my movements and sending endless pleasure rocking through me. I groaned into the kiss as my climax crashed through me. I was robbed of my senses and tossed into chaos.

I was lost for a few heartbeats, drowning in bliss, before I dragged myself back and stared down at Tex. He’d passed out, cum decorating his torso and chest. His body was lax under me, and I was tempted to keep rocking myself inside of him regardless of the fact I’d cum already.

I cupped his face and pushed some of his black hair back. “I can’t let you leave me,” I whispered, kissing him softly. “You can hate me, but I lo—”

Ringing pierced the air, and I glanced over at our clothes on the floor. I reluctantly pulled out of Tex but stopped short to see my cum dripping from his hole.

I found my phone and answered it without thought.

“Hey. Where are you?” Giancarlo asked.

I stared at Tex on the bed. My heart was still trying to break out of my ribcage. My head was spinning, and I had no real grasp on reality.

“Earth to Enzo.”

I blinked, realizing I hadn’t answered Gin. “Home.”

There was some commotion before blaring music came over the line, followed by silence.

“I’m out back. Are you okay?”

No. I couldn’t bring myself to answer. I was stuck. It physically felt like my mouth was glued shut.

“Enzo, make a sound if you need me to come over.”

Seconds ticked by, and Giancarlo didn’t rush me. I needed someone. Tex was passed out, and he was bound to make things worse. I closed my eyes and grunted.

“Already on my way.”

I hadn’t even noticed the sounds of the engine in the background.

“Do you need a clean-up?” Gin asked.

I shook my head and remembered he couldn’t see me. Forcing myself to speak felt like glass scrapping over my tongue. “No.” It was a simple word, yet it took me what felt like forever to say it.

“Okay, good.”

Giancarlo stayed on the line with me the entire time. Talking about who knows what. My mind wandered, but no matter where it went, I always kept my gaze on Tex.

Even at this moment, he was all I obsessed over. Time ticked by, and I slowly moved from my spot and over to the guest bed. I grabbed the cover, but instead of yanking it over Tex’s body, I tossed it to the ground.

“Enzo!” Gin shouted, his voice echoing in my home. “Well, aren’t you a cutie?”

His voice got louder as he grew closer to the guest room. Gin opened the door with Pen in his arms. His gaze instantly dropped to Tex, and I moved toward him.

Gin put the cat down and raised his hands. “I’m not making a move on him. I’m just checking.” Gin audibly swallowed. “He still alive?”

“Yes.”

He nodded. “Want to come out?”

I shook my head, knowing it was ridiculous that I couldn’t talk like I normally could. “I… I want him upstairs.” Each word was a little easier than the one before.

Giancarlo didn’t question me and grabbed the discarded blanket. He tossed it at me. “Cover your man. The last thing I need is you cutting off one of my fingers because I touched his skin.”

I nodded my appreciation and rolled Tex up. He groaned but was still out cold. Gin and I carried him upstairs, Pen on our heels the entire way up. We laid Tex down on the bed, and I instantly started cleaning him up.

Gin left the room, and I was glad he was giving me the time I needed. I went about making sure I took care of Tex. Bruises were already forming on his hips, and bite marks on his chest and neck.

Once he was all cleaned up, I pulled the blanket up. Pen hopped on the bed next to his owner. I took Tex’s wrists and uncuffed them. I kissed him, wishing I could wake him and say something, but I was more likely to take him again and again until all he could think and feel was me.

I headed downstairs once I was cleaned and dressed.

“Want to talk about why there is a cop passed out in your bed with your cum leaking out of his ass?” Gin asked.

My shoulders tightened, and I glared at my brother.

He shrugged. “I had a few sugar-coated options, but let’s be real, Enzo. You’re essere stupido.”

“I know.” I couldn’t deny it, but there was no way around it.

“You know what you have to do.”

I shook my head. “He’s mine.”

“Enzo—”

“Gin, lui è il mio tutto.”

Giancarlo looked ready to strangle me, but even that wouldn’t change what was happening. “Cazzate!”

It wasn’t bullshit; Tex was something more. When I was with him, I nearly felt whole. I wasn’t constantly trying to decipher everything around me. He made things easier. Of course, he made them just as complicated as well, but complicated was my life.

“He is nothing more than a fixation,” Gin stressed.

I stepped toward my brother, meeting his gaze head-on. Gin groaned and tossed his arms up, bowing out of our silent battle of wills.

“Benito isn’t going to like this,” Gin said.

“What am I not going to like?” Benito asked, stepping through my door.